Garbage Disposal - Proper Use!

3/27/2017

You're probably wondering what I mean by "proper use".  I recently learned from experience, and feel obligated to share with you, that a nylon scrubbing pad IS NOT intended to go down the disposal!  Now, you would think that would be obvious, and I, of course, know this.  But, when our disposal stopped working last week, I didn't realize my inattention, was the cause of the problem.

While putting food in the disposal, a scrubbing pad fell in too.  The result?  Not good.  Jeff pulled out an entire handful of nylon strings and still the disposal wouldn't work.  The solution was to buy a new disposal.  Not a very exciting purchase, but one of pure necessity.  I had been putting my scraps last week into a plastic jar, which is effective but a bit smelly!

Maybe some of you might remember a food strainer that sat in one corner of the sink.  It might have looked something like this: 

  Once the food had drained, the food was put in the trash can.  So glad that we don't have to go through all that nonsense now.  I don't believe you really value a product or tool until said item up and stops working.  I had never thought of the disposal as a critical kitchen tool, until I was met with some food scraps and had nowhere to dump them.  I didn't want to put food in the trash can, and putting the scraps in a jar with a lid, was a much better alternative.

Now Jeff has a theory, and one that he has clung to over the course of our marriage.  You DON'T do plumbing on a Sunday.  Reason being is that as sure as the sun comes up every morning, you'll get home and find that the box is missing a part, or during the installation a part gets broken.  In keeping with his theory, he put the disposal in on Saturday, and for the most part, the installation went smoothly.  At least if he was cursing, it must have just been in his head, since I heard nothing.

I'm happy to report that the smelly jar is gone and the new disposal is working well and is so much quieter than our old one.  Jeff wasn't sure, but seemed to think that the broken disposal came with the house - 31 years ago!

I am now paying much more attention to what's in my sink and keeping my scrubbing pads away at a safe distance.

P